1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to motor vehicles. More particularly, the present invention relates to a truly unique and versatile garment hanger assembly for motor vehicles. More specifically, but without restriction to the particular embodiment and/or use which is shown and described for purposes of illustration, the present invention relates to a garment hanger assembly for a motor vehicle that is retractable.
2. Discussion
Typically, motor vehicles are equipped with at least one relatively small hook disposed near the headliner of the vehicle for receiving garment hangers. The standard hook needed to be small so as to not interfere with the headroom for the occupant. Unfortunately, this resulted in relatively small hooks that could only accommodate one or possibly two hangers. Additionally, the small hooks were not very effective in positively maintaining the hangers in contact therewith during sudden maneuvers of the motor vehicle. Sudden maneuvers of the motor vehicle often resulted in the hangers, and ultimately the garment, falling to the seats or the floor of the vehicle. Some manufacturers, in an effort to alleviate this problem, began producing larger hooks, however, this lead to reduced headroom problems for the occupants.
Manufacturers then began, for aesthetic and packaging reasons, producing garment hangers that are retractable or pivotable into a recess. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,354 assigned to Prince Corporation provides a hook that is pivotally mounted within a recess in the headliner and pivots between a stored position and lower position for use. Another example is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,507,423 assigned to Prince Corporation. This patent teaches a hook that is retractable into a recess when not in use, in order to retract the hanger, the occupant must force the hanger into the recess. Although such devices perform satisfactorily, they are often only able to accommodate one or two hangers. There is, therefore, a need to provide a retractable hook that can accommodate a significant number of hangers. There is also a need to provide a garment hanger that is retractable without any input from the occupant of the vehicle.